GPlates is open-source desktop software running on Windows, Linux and MacOS X. It enables the interactive manipulation of plate-tectonic reconstructions and the visualization of geodata through geological time. The workshop will give an introduction to GPlates for new users, discussing basic GPlates functionality and working with reconstructions, including some examples for how to load your own data. You can follow the workshop if you bring your own laptop computer. In preparation download and install the GPlates software from www.gplates.org as well as the user manual, and the tutorial documents and files.